Riyadh
BUSINESS
NEOM Shrinks Yet Saudi Ambition Rebrands
After years of promising a mirror-line city in the desert, Saudi Arabia is quietly rewriting the script for its most ambitious project.
BUSINESS
New Alliances, Old Tensions: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the Future of Middle East Security
Israeli jets bomb Doha, killing six during ceasefire talks. Riyadh signs defense pact with Pakistan as Europe eyes stability for the India–Middle East–Europe Corridor and Qatari LNG supplies.
PODCASTS
The Role of AI in a Future EU-GCC FTA?
EU-GCC FTA talks may hinge on AI’s role, as UAE boosts major investments in artificial intelligence amid renewed trade negotiations.
BUSINESS
Trump May Have Found His Match in the UAE
Donald Trump visits Abu Dhabi in a new era of US-Gulf diplomacy, blending business with diplomacy in the Middle East, as the UAE redefines U.S.-GCC ties.
Ukraine War
Trump Breaks Rank with Europe at Riyadh on Ukraine
Trump's Riyadh talks with Russia on Ukraine spark tension, bypassing Kyiv and risking a U.S.-Europe rift on future cooperation.
Popular
Trade, Not Tribes: Phoenician Culture Spread by Contact, Not Conquest
As a study published in Nature on 23 April 2025 analysed DNA from 210 individuals across 14 Mediterranean sites, researchers discovered that Phoenician ideas travelled further than Phoenician bodies, challenging centuries of assumptions about ancient expansion.
News Room No More: Bezos Cuts Washington Post by One-Third
One-third of staff gone. Democracy dies in spreadsheets.
Youthful Economic Leverage: Africa’s Coming Negotiating Power
At a point at which wealthy states grey and workforces shrink, Africa prepares to use its youthful population as a powerful tool for global negotiation.
Roman Angel Resembling Meloni Painted Over
An angel's face resembled the prime minister. Days later, it vanished.
Crypto Crash: Gamification of Digital Assets
The digital gold rush left a trail of ruined savings for everyday people who find that their money can vanish in a click without any real legal safety net.
